Selector mechanism including cassette storage

ABSTRACT

A selector mechanism for use in selecting an individual one from a plurality of cards and wherein each card has an individual code formed by openings through the card and notches extending from a back edge of the card and including a cassette for receiving and storing the plurality of cards adjacent to each other with the openings and notches aligned along parallel axis and including an open front for allowing forward movement of the cards in planes perpendicular to the parallel axis and with a table for supporting the cassette in a horizontal plane and with the forward movement of the cards in a horizontal direction and with a pin assembly including a plurality of pin members movable along vertical axes coextensive with the vertical axes of the aligned openings and notches of the cards and with the pin members movable in a vertical direction to have the pin members pass through at least one opening in all of the cards except one and with compressed air coupled to the cards for providing horizontal forward movement of the cards and with all of the cards except the one card restrained by the pin members from forward movement.

United States Patent [191 Nelson et al.

[ SELECTOR MECHANISM INCLUDING CASSETTE STORAGE [75] Inventors: AlfredM. Nelson, Redondo Beach;

Robert G. McPherson; Maurice S. Martin, both of Palos Verdes Peninsula,all of Calif.

[73] Assignee: Cubic Industrial Corporation, San

Diego, Calif.

[22] Filed: July 17, 1972 [21] App]. No.: 272,192

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No.247,805, April 26,.

1972, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 209/110.5

Deprez 209/1 10.5

[ Aug. 27, 1974 Primary Examiner--Richard A. Schacher Attorney, Agent,or Firm-Brown and Martin [57] ABSTRACT A selector mechanism for use inselecting an individual one from a plurality of cards and wherein eachcard has an individual code formed by openings through the card andnotches extending from a back edge of the card and including a cassettefor receiving and storing the plurality of cards adjacent to each otherwith the openings and notches aligned along parallel axis and includingan open front for allowing forward movement of the cards in planesperpendicular to the parallel axis and with a table for supporting thecassette in a horizontal plane and with the forward movement of thecards in a horizontal direction and with a pin assembly including aplurality of pin members movable along vertical axes coextensive withthe vertical axes of the aligned openings and notches of the cards andwith the pin members movable in a vertical direction to have the pinmembers pass through at least one opening in all of the cards except oneand with compressed air coupled to the cards for providing horizontalforward movement of the cards and with all of the cards except the onecard restrained by the pin members from forward movement.

25 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATfimEnmszmu v sum ear 5 This is acontinuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 247,805 filed Apr. 26,1972, and now abandoned. This application relates to a selectormechanism for use with a cassette storing a plurality of cards forselecting one of a plurality of microfiche cards from the cassette andfor moving that card to a position so that the card may then be operatedupon by a microfiche card reader for readout of an individual one of theframes on the microfiche card. Specifically, a card reader such as thetype shown in application Ser. No. 219,103 filed Jan. 19, 1972, listingAlfred M. Nelson, Robert G. McPherson and Maurice S. Martin as inventorsand assigned as the same assignee as the instant application, may beused in association with a selector mechanism of the present inventionso as to provide for an automatic selection and readout of an individualone of the frames on a microfiche card.

It is common to provide for the storage of information on microfichecards divided into a plurality of frames and wherein such cards providestoragein the individual ones of the frames of visual information suchas drawings, pages of specifications, pages of books, etc. it istherefore possible to provide on a single card a considerable amount ofinformation discretely arranged along rows and columns at the individualframe positions. The copending application referred to above providesfor a card reader which when provided with an individual microfiche cardprovides for movement of the card to a reading station and specificallyprovides for movement of the card so as to provide for a readout of aparticular one of the frames on the card at the reading station. Thisreading of individual ones of the frame on the card may be providedeither manually or automatically by using the mechanism described in thecopending application Ser. No. 219,103.

The present invention provides for a selector mechanism so that anindividual one of a plurality of cards may be presented to the cardreader. ln addition, the selector mechanism of the present inventionprovides for the selection of an individual one of a plurality of cardswhich are stored in a card cassette which cassette is designed forcooperation with the selector mechanism for selection of the individualcards. In addition, the cards are stored within the cassette so that thecards are protected within the cassette.

It is desirable to provide for the microfiche cards to be protectedwithin the cassette so as to eliminate manual handling of the cardswhich could damage the cards or could provide for an opticaldeterioration of the cards. lt can be seen, therefore, that themicrofiche cards may be maintained in groups contained in a plurality ofcassettes so that an entire storage system may be provided whereingroups of cards are maintained in cassettes. Individual ones of thecards may be read by first choosing the cassetee containing the desiredcard and then inserting such cassette into the selector mechanism. Theselector mechanism then automatically chooses the individual one of thecard to be presented to the card reader and the card reader is used tochoose the particular one of the frames on the card for readout.

The selector mechanism generally operates in the following manner. Thecassette containing the desired one of the individual cards is insertedinto the selector mechanism. The top cover and front wall of thecassette are integrally formed so that when the cover is lifted, thefront of the cassette is exposed to allow for the removal of anindividual one of the cards. The cover supports a weighted member hingedto the cover which weighted member rests on the top of the cards evenwhen the cover is in the raised position. This weighted member providesfor a constant pressure on the cards within the cassette no matter thenumber of cards. The individual cards include an edge coding formed by aseries of holes and notches. Each one of the cards has a unique codingrelative to the remaining ones of the cards.

The selector mechanism itself includes a plurality of pin members eachone of which may be moved between two positions. The movement of thepins is solenoid controlled in accordance with a pre-selection such asthrough the use of a keyboard as shown in copending application Ser. No.219,103. Once all of the pins are properlypositioned, the entire pinstructure is moved upward to pass within the openings or notches at theedge of the cards. At the same time, the cover of the cassette is liftedto expose the front edge of the card. It can be seen, therefore, that bytheappropriate coding of the cards and the proper positioning of thepins, all of the cards may be restrained from forward movement exceptone, and with that one particular card having the pins passing throughonly notches on the card.

The cassette includes openings at a rearward position to expose the backedges of the cards. Once the pin mechanism is set to secure all of thecards with the exception of the individually chosen card, then air maybe supplied through these openings in the back of the eassette so as todisplace the cards relative to each other in a vertical position andthereby provide for the free movement of the individually selected cardin a horizontal position in accordance with the flow of air. Thismovement of the individually selected card in a horizontal direction outof the cassette may be facilitated by maintaining the air in a narrowstream and by displacing the entire cassette relative to this stream ofair. The individually chosen card is now moved toa position extendingfrom the front of the cassette so as to be in a forward positionrelative to the remaining cards in the cassette. The individually chosencard may now be grasped by a jaw assembly which may be of the type shownin copending application Ser. No. 219,103.

The apparatus of the present invention also includes specific structuralimprovements which are advantageous over the prior art and provide forparticular ad vantages with the present invention. For example, thecassette includes at a top position a plurality of dummy cards and mayalso include a plurality of dummy cards in a bottom position. Thesedummy cards are to insure that when the stream of air is directed to theback edge of the cards, the boundary air impedance for the first few orthe last few cards is not a factor in the selection of an individual oneof the cards. In the replacement of a selected card, the replacementalways occurs at a top position, so that there are no critical points ininserting the card into the cassette. Because of the use of a pluralityof dummy cards at a top position, the metal weighted member referred toabove includes a folded edge portion to capture these dummy cards at thefor ward position. This insures that the replacement of a selected cardis always the top position for the active cards within the cassette,while providing that the dummy cards do not enter into the selectionprocess other than by providing for the elimination of the air boundarycondition. The cassette also includes an interlock, which cooperateswith the selector mechanism so that once the cover member of thecassette is lifted, it is impossible to eject the cassette from theselector mechanism.

The selector mechanism itself is simple in construction in providing forthe movement of the pins between two positive positions which positionsare controlled by stop members. The use of only two positions for thepin members-thereby eliminates difficulties which might occur withmultiple positioning of the pin members. The pin members are normallybiased in a first position and with the individual solenoid controlproviding for the movement of any of the pins to a second position sothat the positioning of the pins is very simply accomplished by eitherenergizing or not energizing the individual solenoids.

The selector mechanism of the present invention also includes aplurality of sensors which detect different positions for the variousoperating members in the apparatus of the present invention, and withthe output of such sensors used to control the initiation of the varioussteps in the select and replace cycles for the individual card members.

A clearer understanding of the present invention will be had withreference to the following description and drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of the selector mechanism of thepresent invention and including a cassette in position for the selectionof an individual one of a plurality of cards within the cassette;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of an interlock which prevents the removal ofthe cassette once the cover member of the cassette has been lifted andthe pin assembly has been lifted;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of the cassette in position within theselector mechanism and showing the exposure of the cards at the frontposition;

FIG. 4 illustrates the weighted metal member which rests on the cards tomaintain the cards under constant pressure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the cassette with the coverin a closed position;

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the cassette with the coverin an open position;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of a select and replace cycle for theselector mechanism of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an alternative embodiment of a system including a singlenozzle for supplying air to the plurality of cards;

FIG. 9 is a detail of the nozzle used in the structure of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a modification of the flow diagram of FIG. 7 to improve theselection of an individual one of the plurality of cards.

In FIG. I an individual microfiche card 10 is shown in a positionextending from the front portion of a cassette 12. The card 10 is alsoshown exploded in an upward position for clarity and it can be seen thatthe card includes a plurality of individual frames 14 which frames maycontain visual information and with the frames arranged along rows andcolumns. The readout of the individual frames on the card 10, once thecard 10 has been selected from within the cassette 12, may beaccomplished using a card reader of the type disclosed in copendingapplication Ser. No. 219,103 referred to above.

It can be seen in FIG. I that the back edge portion of the card 10includes a plurality of openings 16 and notches l8 interspaced along aportion of the back edge. The card 10 shown in FIG. 1 shows an openingalternating with a notch at adjacent positions, but it is to beappreciated that by a proper positioning of openings and notches atselected positions along the back edge of the card, a particular codemay be provided for each individual card so that each card has a codedifferent from the other cards. In this way, a pin mechanism may be usedwhich when passing through all of the cards provides for restraint ofall of the cards but one since that particular card will have the pinsonly passing through notch positions.

The cassette 12 which contains a plurality of cards may be seen withreference to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 through 6. The cassette 12 includes a traymember having bottom wall 20, side walls 22 and 24, and a back wall 26.The front of the tray member is open to provide for re moval of theindividual ones of the cards within the eassette. The back wall 26includes a pair of openings 28 and 30 which are used to provide accessfor a source of air to the back edges of the cards 10.

The cassette 12 includes a cover member 32, including an integral frontwall 34 which cover member when in a closed position as shown in FIG. 5provides for the closure of the front edge of the tray to thereby form acomplete box enclosing the plurality of microfiche cards. The covermember 32 may be hinged using a spring ribbon 36 formed from a materialsuch as berillium copper, which ribbon member 35 extends between thecover member 32 and a member 38 extending forward from and integral withthe back wall member 26.

The plurality of microfiche cards 10 which are maintained in a downwardposition by a metal weight member 40 which is coupled to the covermember 32 through the use of flexible tape members 42. The weight member40 includes a front edge portion 44 which is bent backwards so as toreceive a plurality of dummy cards as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 at position46. As can be seen in FIG. 6, even when the cover is in the up position,the weighted member 40 maintains the cards 10 under a constant pressuresince the flexible tape members 42 allow the weighted member 40 to movedownward against the plurality of cards 10. The front edge of theweighted member 40 is not only bent over to form the portion 44, but theportion 44 and the adjacent portion of the weighted member 40 are alsobent upward so as to allow a replacement of a selected card into thecassette at a position between the portion 44 and the top card member inthe group of cards 10. The use of the folded over portion 44 allows forthe re taining of the dummy cards at position 46 within the cassette sothat at the rearward position these dummy cards form part of the groupof cards. The dummy cards alleviate a problem of failure of selection ofone of the first few cards due to boundary air impedance. Since thedummy cards at the front portion of the cassette are held by the foldedover portion 44, these dummy cards do not interfere with the replacementof selected cards to the top position.

The cassette 12 also includes a guide member 48 which is formed as ahalf round section, which guide member 48 cooperates with a slot ornotch 50 in each card so as to insure that the cards 10 are properlypositioned within the cassette 12 and to insure that the openings andnotches 16 and 18 are aligned with each other in the plurality of cardswithin the cassette 12. The guide member 48 also insures that the cardscannot be put into the cassette 12 in an upside-down positlon.

In order to maintain the cover 12 of the cassette closed, the cassetteincludes a spring member 60 which engages a portion 62 of the frontcover. The spring is exposed by opening 64 in the side wall and opening66 in the cover.

Turning now to the selector mechanism which re ceives the cassette 12including the cards 10, the selctor mechanism includes a table l00 andthe various elements of the selector mechanism are mounted on the table100 so that the table may be moved in a vertical position and with theother elements of the selector mechanism moving with the table. Mountedon the table 100 but dropped down to a lower position for clarity inFIG. 1 is a pin selector mechanism 102 including a plurality of pinmembers 104 each of which may be moved between two pre-set positions ascontrolled by stop members 106. Each of the pins 104 passes throughopenings in arm members 108 and with each arm member mounted forrotation about pivot points 110. Although only two such arm members 108are shown in H6. 1, it is to be appreciated that each pin member hasassociated with it such an arm member. The arm members 108, andtherefore the pin members 104, are maintained in a preselected positionby spring members 112 which extend from a block 114 and bear against thearm members 108 to provide for a clockwise rotation of the arm members108 around the pivot points 110.

The position of the pin members 104 in either of its two possiblepositions is controlled by a plurality of solenoids 116. four of whichare shown to the right of the pins and four of which are shown to theleft of the pins. A plurality of wire members 118 extend from thesolenoids 116 through openings 120 and are connected to the arm members108 at appropriate positions relative to the pivot points 110 so toprovide for counterclockwise rotation of the pin members 104 upon activation of the solenoids 116. The activation of the solenoids 116 may becontrolled in accordance with a key select from a keyboard of the typeshown in copending application Ser. No. 2 l 9, l 03 referred to above,or each solenoid could be directly controlled.

The cassette 12 is normally slid into the selector mechanism on thetable 100 and with a channel member 122 riding in a groove 52 in theportion 38 of the cassette 12 so as to provide for a guiding of thecassette to the appropriate position. As the cassette 12 is being slidinto position, the side wall 22 engages an arm member 124 to provide fora tensioning of a spring 126 which is coupled between the arm member 124and an extension 128 of the channel member 122. The cas sette 12 ispushed against the arm 124 until a pawl member 130 drops into a slot 54formed in the portion 38 of the cassette l2. T He pawl member 130 is anextension of an arm member 132 which is pivoted about position 124. Thisis more clearly shown with reference to FIG. 2, wherein it can be seenthat pawl member 130 at the end of arm member 132 rotates about thepivot point 134. The pawl member 1130 is normally maintained in acounter-clockwise position by a spring member 136, which spring memberis held at the end of a permanently affixed arm member 138.

When the cassette is slid in position, an arm 180 en- 7 gages the spring60 through the openings 64 and 66 to release the cover 12 so that thecover may be opened for selection of individual cards. When the cover isallowed to close and the cassette released, the spring member 60 willautomatically latch the cover in position.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the cassette may be released through the useof a rotatable lever member which includes an inner portion 142 toengage the lower end of arm member 132. The arm member 140 is supportedfor rotation about a pivot point 144. It can be seen therefore that bydepressing the lever 140, the portion 142 engages the arm 132 to therebyprovide for clockwise rotation of the arm 132 and the pawl 130 tothereby release the pawl 130 from the slot 54. Since the spring 126 isin tension because of the cocking of the spring due to the movment ofthe arm 124, the arm 124 will eject the cassette 12 in a leftwarddirection as shown in FIG. 1.

To insure that the cassette 12 will not be accidentally ejected duringthe selector operation, an arm member 146 will be pivoted to theposition shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the cover 32 of the cassette 12 islifted. The arm member 146, when in the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,prevents the lower portion of the arm member 132 from rotating in aclockwise position, thereby preventing the release of the pawl 130 fromthe slot 54. The cover 32 is lifted in the upward position by anextension 148 of the arm member 146 and with the arm member 146controlled by a. second pivoted arm member 150, which in turn iscontrolled through a wire 152 by a solenoid 154. The activation of thesolenoid 154 therefore provides for a movement of the arm member 146 inan upward direction so that the portion 148 engages the cover member 32and lifts the cover member to the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 6. Inthis upward position, the front edge of the cards 10 are exposed toallow for the selection of an individual one of the cards from theplurality of cards 10 and with a replacement of that selected card.

The solenoid 154 in addition to controlling the opening of the covermember 32, also provides for a movement of the pins 104 in the upwarddirection so as to pass through the appropriate opening 16 and notches18 of the cards 10 and thereby select the appropriate one of the cards10 to be moved 1111 a forward direction. Solenoid 154 controls themovement of the pins through the use of an arm member 156 which rotatesin accordance with rotation of the solenoid 154 and with such rotationproviding for upward movement of a support member 158. The supportmember 158 supports a slotted tube 160 and a rod member 164 which rodmember receives the arm member 156. The pin member 104 includes ballends 105 which ride in the slotted tube 160 for horizontal movement. Thesupport member 158 is guided for vertical movement by extensions of thetube 160 which ride in slots 162.

The pin members 104 slide through the openingsin the arm members 108,and such arm members 108 therefore provide for a guiding of the pinmembers 104 as they are moved vertically in the upward direction. In

addition, the table 100 may include a plurality of openings 166 at allpossibile locations for both openings and notches in the cards toprovide for an additional guiding of the rod members 104. It can be seentherefore that activation of the solenoid 154 provides for verticalmovement of the pins 104 in an upward direction so as to provide forselection of an individual one of the cards within the cassette and alsoprovide for the openings of the cover of the cassette to allow theselected card to be horizontally moved to a forward position forreadout.

In order to provide for the horizontal movement of the selected card tothe forward position, a pair of pipes 168 conduct compressed air tonozzles 170 which nozzles are adjacent openings 28 and 30 in the rearwall of the cassette. The nozzles 170 direct the compressed air withsufficient force in a restricted area so as to vertically spread thecards relative to each other and so that the selected card, which is notrestricted by any of the pins 104, may be moved forward by the air to aposition where the card extends from the group of cards 10. The pipes168 are maintained in a stationary position and the table 100 supportingall of the elements of the selector mechanism and the cassette is movedin a vertical direction through the use of a motor 172 shown in FIG. 3.As the table 100 is moved in the vertical direction, the air from thenozzles 170 provides for the spreading apart of the cards and when theappropriate selected card is reached, that card moves forward due to theforce of the air. As explained above, a plurality of dummy cards may beprovided at the top and bottom of the pile so that the boundarycondition of the top and bottom where there is a change in air impedanceoccurs with relation to the dummy cards. Because of this boundarycondition, it might be difficult to provide movement of the first fewcards at the top or bottom of the group of cards.

It is also noted that the openings 28 and 30 are located to the side ofthe notch positions since the notches disturb the air fiow which mayeffect reliability of card selection.

In order to provide for the-cycling of the selection of a particular oneof the cards 10 within the cassette l2 and to provide for thereplacement of the selected card, a number of sensors are positioned todetect the movement of particular members within the mechanism duringthe operation of the selector mechanism. For example, a pair ofmicroswitch sensors 200 and 202 provide output signals representative ofthe position of the table 100 either at a bottom position, as detectedby sensor 202, or at a top position, as detected by sensor 200, whichpositions are known as table down and table up". A microswitch sensor204 is positioned above arm 156 so as to detect when the pin members 104are in the up position. Finally, a light sensitive detector including asource of light 206 and a photodetector 208, are used to detect thepresence or absence of a card 10 in th sense position.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a How diagram of the operation of the selectormechanism of the present invention in combination with the cassette isshown. In FIG. 7, it is assumed that a cassette, including a desiredmicrofiche has been inserted into the selector mechanism and is latchedin position by the use of the pawl member 130. At that time, a keyboardinput would be provided to key in the appropriate one of the individualmicrofiche cards in the cassette. This keyboard would be of the typeshown in the above-mentioned copending application Ser. No. 219,103, andwould be used essentially to select appropriate ones of the solenoids116. As indicated above, the keyboard setting may be eliminated and theselector pins 104 may be set by directly activating appropriate ones ofthe solenoids 116 for selection of a desired one of the microfichecards.

The keyboard as shown in the copending application also normallyincludes a key which would be used to control the actual selectionprocess. Once the selecting process is activated, as shown by step 256,then the mechanism of FIGS. 1 through 6 is set in operation. First thepins 104 and the lid 32 of the cassette 12 are lifted as shown by step258. This happens very rapidly and when the pins are in the upposition,this is detected by sensor 204 as shown by step 260. Once the pins arein the up position, the air is turned on as shown by step 262 so as tosupply air through the pipes 168 and from the nozzles 170 towards theopenings 28 and 30 in the back wall of the cassette so as to direct airto the back edges of the cards 10.

At the same time that the pins 104 are lifted, the movement of the tableis started as shown by 264. The air is turned on very shortly after themovement of the table is started and the air is turned on before thetable has reached the position where the nozzles 170 is directing air tothe cards 10. As the table is moved up and with the air directed to theback of the cards, the cards are separated by the air but are restrainedfrom forward movement by one or more of the pins 104 passing through oneor more openings 16 in all of the cards in the group except for theselected card. With that particular selected card, the pins pass onlythrough notches 18 so that when the table reaches the position where theair is directed toward that particular card, that card is separated fromthe surrounding cards and is moved forward under the guidance of thestream of air.

The selected card will therefore be moved to a forward position as shownin FIG. 1, extending from the face of the cassette 12 and interceptingthe beam of light supplied by the light source 206. The edge of theselected card 208 reflects this light back towards the photodetector 208to provide for a sensing of the pressure of the card as shown by thesense/select step 266. When the selected card is sensed, the table isstopped as shown by step 268. When no card is sensed and when the tablereaches the top position as shown by step 270, which top position isdetected by detector 200, when the pins and the lid are both dropped asshown by step 272. If a card is sensed and the table is stopped, then ajaw mechanism in the card readout which may be of the type shown in thecopending application Serial No. 219,103 referred to above, grasps thecard and pulls it clear of the cassette. The removal of the card isshown by step 274 and the detection of this removal may be provided bythe photodetector 108 no longer receiving light, or by some other sensorin the card reader. The sensing of the removal of the card is used toprovide an input to an OR gate 276. In addition, the sensing of thetable at the top position is used to provide an input to the gate 276.Prior to the table reaching the top position, an OR gate 278 receivesinputs representing the table having started up but not having reachedthe top position. The output of the gate 278 maintains the sensing ofthe selection of the card as shown by step 266.

The output from the gate 276 is used to control the table starting downas shown by step 280 and also the turning off the air as shown by step282. When the table has reached the down position, as shown by step 283,and as detected by detector 202, then the table is stopped as shown bystep 284. This would be the completion of the select cycle. It can beseen therefore that the select cycle may reach the last step 284 in twoways. In the first way, a fiche has been selected and is pulled clear.In the second way. a fiche was not selected but where the table isreturned to the bottom position so that the select cycle may bereactivated. This would occur ifa number is keyed and there was no cardin the cassette with that code.

Assuming that a fiche has been selected and has been read out, a key onthe keyboard would then be pushed to activate the replacment of thisfiche. This is shown by step 286. The fiche would be replaced in thetopmost position in the cassette by the card reader and such replacementwould be sensed by the photodetector 208. as shown by step 288. At thattime, the pins and lid would be dropped as shown by step 290, so that.

the cassette 12 may now be ejected from the selector mechanism byactivating the arm 140 shown in FIG. 2. When the cover I2 is closed, itswings in an are so that if any card is not fully replaced, the coverwill push the card back into the cassette.

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative system for supplying air to the backof the cards for selecting an individual one of the plurality of cardsin accordace with the operation of the pin selector mechanism. Thestructure of the system is similar to that shown in FIG. I and the samereference numbers will be used for similar elements. The main differencebetween the structure of FIG. 8 and that of FIG. 1 is that in thestructure of FIG. 8 a single air nozzle 300 is used to direct airthrough a central opening 362, which nozzle 300 has a novelconfiguration. and with the coded area at the back edge of the cards 10separated into two sections located on either side of a central portion304. The individual pins of the pin assembly of FIG. 1 is positioned tocorrespond to the position of the openings 16 and notches 18 of the card10 shown in FIG. 8.

The use ofa single nozzle 300 enhances the selection ofthe selected card10 since the air flow from the single nozzle 300 operates against all ofthe cards in turn. regardless of any curl in the cards. This curl mayoccur from one side of a card to the other side so that an individualcard could be higher at one side relative to the other side. Atwo-nozzle system may therefore produce unequal forces on the selectedcard to prevent the forward movement of the selected card.

The system of FIG. 8 also includes a nozzle having a novel configurationas shown in FIG. 9 to provide a more even flow of air to the cards.Specifically, the air flow from the nozzle of FIG. 9 is more nearlyparallel rather than fanning outwardly. This parallel air flow providesfor efficient separation of the cards as the cards 10 are moved relativeto the nozzle 300 and for positive forward movement of the selectedcard.

The structure of the nozzle 300 includes a tubular portion 306 and allatttened section 308 leading to two separated flat members 310 and 312having open sides. The nozzle 300 may be formed from a continuoustubular member by flattening and slitting the end portion LII andseparating the slit flattened members to the configuration shown in FIG.9.

FIG. 10 illustrates an addition to the flow chart of FIG. 7 whichinsures that the selected card will remain in the center of the streamof air until the air is turned off. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10,after the selected card is sensed, as shown by step 266, snd the tableis stopped, as shown by step 268, the table is jogged downward a shortdistance, as shown by step 292. The jogging of the table downward ashort distance corrects for overshoot of the table after the senseselect step 266. The particular distance of the downward jog depends onthe physical constraints of the system. but the distance is adjusted toposition the selected card in the middle of the stream ofair to insurethe proper clearing of the selectedcard as shown by the fiche clear step274. The remaining portion of the flow chart would be substantiallyidentical to that shown in FIG. 7.

It can be seen, therefore, that the present invention provides for aselector mechanism which cooperates with a cassette so as to provide forthe storage of a plurality of microfiche cards within the cassette sothat the cards need not be individually handled and with the se lectormechanism providing for a selection of an individual one of the cardsfrom the cassette. The cassette uniquely cooperates with the selectormechanism in receiving a plurality of pin members which pass eitherthrough openings or notches in individual ones of the cards. The pinsare positioned to a desired code position to provide for the selectionof a card having that particular code. The actual selection isaccomplished through the use of a flow of air toward the back of thecards so as to displace the cards relative to each other and with allthe cards except one held in position by pin members, so that oneparticular card would be displaced in a forward position to protrudefrom the face of the pack of cards. The selector mechanism includes aninterlock to prevent the cassette from being ejected when a card hasbeen selected or is in the process of being selected. Once the selectedcard is replaced, or if no card is selected, then the cassette may beeasily ejected from the selector mechanism. The present invention.therefore, provides for a unique way for storing microfiche cards in thecassette and with the cassette cooperating with a selector mechanism soas to provide for the selection of individual ones from the cassette.Although the invention has been described with reference to a particularembodiment, it is to be appreciated that various adaptatios andmodifications may be made and the invention is only to be limited by theappended claims.

We claim:

I. A selector mechanism for use in selecting an individual one from aplurality of cards and wherein each card has an individual edge code ofadjacent openings and notches, including:

first means for supporting the plurality of cards in a horizontalposition and with the coded edge-portions and the openings and notchesof the individual cards aligned along vertical axis,

a plurality of pin members supported adjacent to each other and to thecoded edge portions of the plurality of cards and with each pin membermovable between at least two preset positions and with each pin memberat all preset positions located along one of the vertical axis,

second means coupled to the individual pin members to preset positionscorresponding to all notch positions for the edge code of one of thecards in the plurality,

third means coupled to the plurality of pin members for providingmovement of the pin members along the vertical axes and to extendthrough the openings and notches of all the cards,

fourth means coupled to the plurality of cards for providing individualmovement of the cards in a horizontal direction and with all of thecards except the one card having all notch positions for the pin membersrestrained from such movement in the horizontal direction by the pinmembers,

said pin members being movable between two preset positions with stopmembers to control the preset positions, and

the ends of the pin members form balls and additionally including aslotted tube for receiving the ball ends to allow the pin membersto movefreely be tween the preset positions while providing a positivebidirectional translation of the pins as a group in a directionorthogonal to the free direction.

2. A selector mechanism for use in selecting an indi vidual one from aplurality of cards and wherein each card has an individual edge code ofadjacent openings and notches, including:

first means for supporting the plurality of cards in a horizontalposition and with the coded edge portions and the openings and notchesof the individual cards aligned along vertical axes,

a plurality of pin members supported adjacent to each other and to thecoded edge portions of the plurality of cards and with each pin membermoveable between at least two preset positions and with each pin memberat all preset positions located along one of the vertical axis,

second means coupled to the individual pin members to preset positionscorresponding to all notch positions for the edge core of one of thecards in the plurality.

third means coupled to the plurality of pin members for providingmovement of the pin members along the vertical axes and to extendthrough the openings and notches of all of the cards,

fourth means coupled to the plurality of cards for providing individualmovement of the cards in a horizontal direction and with all ofthe cardsexcept the one card having all notch positions for the pin membersrestrained from such movement in the horizontal direction by the pinmembers,-

the plurality of cards is stored in a cassette and the cassette isinserted into and supported by the first means, and

the cassette includes a cover member having a front face covering theforward edges of the plurality of cards and additionally including meansfor opening the hinged cover to expose the forward edges of the cardsand to allow the horizontal movement of the selected one of the cards tohave the selected one of the cards extend from the plurality of cards.

3. The selector mechanism of claim 2 which the cassette includes alatching mechanism for latching the cover in a closed position andwherein the first means includes means for unlatching the latchingmechanism when the cassette is inserted into and supported by the firstmeans.

1. The selector mechanism of claim 2 additionally including a latchingmechanism for latching the cassette in a desired position for selectionof the cards and additionally including an interlock to preventunlatching when the cover member is opened to expose the forward edgesof the cards.

5. A selector mechanism for use in selecting an individual one from aplurality of cards and wherein each card has an individual edge code ofadjacent openings and notches, including:

first means for supporting the plurality of cards in a horizontalposition and with the coded edge portions and the openings and notchesof the individual cards aligned along vertical axes,

a plurality of pin members supported adjacent to each other and to thecoded edge portions of the plurality of cards and with each pin membermovable between at least two preset positions and with each pin memberat all preset positions located along one of the vertical axis,

second means coupled to the individual pin members to preset positionscorresponding to all notch positions for the edge code of one of thecards in the plurality,

third means coupled to the plurality of pin members for providingmovement of the pin members along the vertical axes and to extendthrough the openings and notches of all of the cards,

fourth means coupled to the plurality of cards for providing individualmovement of the cards in a horizontal direction and with all of thecards except the one card having all notch positions for the pin membersrestrained from such movement in the horizontal direction by the pinmembers,

the plurality of cards is stored in a cassette and the cassette isinserted into and supported by the first means, and

the cassette includes a weight member lying on top of the plurality ofcards to provide a constant downward pressure on the group of cards.

6. The selector mechanism of claim 5 wherein the ,weight member includesa forward folded over portion to receive a plurality ofdummy cards toprovide a sepa ration of the dummy cards from the plurality of cards atthe forward portion but with the dummy cards forming part of theplurality of cards at the rearward portion.

7. The selector mechanism of claim 5 wherein the weight member iscoupled by flexible tape members to a hinged cover member in thecassette to provide for the weight member lying on the plurality ofcards when the hinged cover member is open.

8. A selector mechanism for use in selecting an individual one from aplurality of cards and wherein each card has an individual code formedby openings through the card and notches extending from a back edge ofthe card, including:

a cassette for receiving and storing the plurality of cards adjacent toeach other with the openings and notches aligned along parallel axis andincluding an open front for allowing forward movement of the cards inplanes perpendicular to the parallel axis,

first means for supporting the cassette in a horizontal plane and withthe forward movement of the cards in a horizontal direction,

second means including a plurality of pin members moveable alongvertical axis coextensive with the vertical axes of the aligned openingsand notches of the cards,

third means coupled to the second means for providing vertical movementof at least some of the pin members to have the pin members pass throughat least one opening in all of the cards except one,

fourth means coupled to the cards for providing hori zontal forwardmovement of the cards and with all of the cards except one cardrestrained for forward movement by at least one of the pin members, and

each pin member is also movable in a horizontal direction between twopreset positions and with step members to control the preset positions.

9. The selector mechanism of claim 8 wherein the end of the pin membersform balls and additionally including a slotted tube for receiving theball ends to guide thepin members between the preset positions.

10. A selector mechanism for use in selecting an indi vidual one from aplurality of cards and wherein each card has an individual code formedby openings through the card and notches extending from a back edge ofthe card, including:

a cassette for receiving and storing the plurality of cards adjacent toeach other with the openings and notches aligned along parallel axis andincluding an open front for allowing forward movement of the cards inplanes perpendicular to the parallel axis,

first means for supporting the cassette in a horizontal plane and withthe forward movement of the cards in a horizontal direction,

second means including a plurality of pin members movable along verticalaxis coextensive with the vertical of the aligned openings and notchesof the cards, third means coupled to the second means for providingvertical movement of at least some of the pin members to have the pinmembers pass through at least one opening in all of the cards exceptone,

fourth means coupled to the cards for providing horizontal forwardmovement of the cards and with all of the cards except the one cardrestrained for forward movement by at least one ofthe pin members, and

the cassette includes a hinged cover member having a front face coveringthe open front and additionally including means for opening the hingedcover to expose the forward edges of the cards and to allow thehorizontal movement of the selected one of the cards to have theselected one of the cards extend from the plurality of cards.

ll. The selector mechanism of claim 10 wherein the cassette includes alatching mechanism for latching the cover in a closed position andwherein the first means includes means for unlatching the latchingmechanism when the cassette is inserted into and supported by the firstmeans.

12. The selector mechanism of claim 10 additionally including a latchingmechanism for latching the eassette in a desired position for selectionof the cards and additionally including an interlock'to preventunlatching when the cover member is opened to expose the forward edgesof the cards.

13. A selector mechanism for use in selecting an individual one from aplurality of cards and wherein each card has an individual code formedby openings through the card and notches extending from a back edge ofthe card, including:

a cassette for receiving and storing the plurality of cards adjacent toeach other with the openings and notches aligned along parallel axis andincluding an open front for allowing forward movement of the cards inplanes perpendicular to the parallel axis,

first means for supporting the cassette in a horizontal plane and withthe forward movement of the cards in a horizontal direction,

second means including a plurality of pin members movable along verticalaxis coextensive with the vertical axes of the aligned openings andnotches of the cards,

third means coupled to the second means for providing vertical movementof at least some of the pin members to have the pin members pass throughat least one opening in all of the cards except one,

fourth means coupled to the cards for providing horizontal forwardmovement of the cards and with all of the cards except the one cardrestrained for forward movement by at least one of the pin members, and

the cassette includes a weight member lying on top of the plurality ofcards to provide a constant downward pressure on the group of cards.

14. The selector mechanism of claim 13 wherein the weight memberincludes a forward folded over portion to receive a plurality of dummycards to provide a separation of the dummy cards from the plurality ofcards at the forward position but with the dummy cards forming part ofthe plurality of cards at the rearward portion.

15. The selector mechanism of claim 13 wherein the weight member iscoupled by flexible tape members to a hinged cover member in thecassette to provide for the weight member lying on the plurality ofcards when the hinged cover member is open.

16. A sslector mechanism for use in selecting an individual one from aplurality of cards and wherein each card has an individual edge code ofadjacent openings and notches, including:

first means for supporting the plurality of cards in a horizontalposition and with the coded edge portions and the openings and notchesof the individual cards aligned along vertical axes,

a plurality of pin members supported adjacent to each other and to thecoded edge portions of the plurality of cards and with each pin membermovable between at least two preset positions and with each pin memberat all preset positions located along one of the vertical axis,

second means coupled to the individual pin members to preset positionscorresponding to all notch positions for the edge code of one of thecards in the plurality,

third means coupled to the plurality of pin members for providingmovement of the pin members along the vertical axis and to extendthrough the openings and notches of all of the cards,

fourth means, including a stream of gas, coupled to the plurality ofcards for providing individual movement of the cards in a horizontaldirection and with all of the cards except the one card having all notchpositions for the pin members restrained from such movement in thehorizontal direction by the pin members,

the stream of gas is concentrated by a nozzle and the nozzle andplurality of cards are moved relative to each other in a verticaldirection to provide the stream of gas along the entire plurality ofcards, and

the relative vertical movement between the nozzle and the cards isstopped when the selected card is moved in a horizontal direction andwith a short reversal of the vertical movement to insure the se lectedcard in the center of the stream of gas.

17. A selector mechanism for use in selecting an individual one from aplurality of cards and wherein each card has an individual code formedby openings through the card and notches extending from a back edge ofthe card, including:

a cassette for receiving and storing the plurality of cards adjacent toeach other with the openings and notches aligned along parallel axis andincluding an open front for allowing forward movement of the cards inplanes perpendicular to the parallel axis,

first means for supporting the cassette in a horizontal plane and withthe forward movement of the cards in a horizontal direction,

second means including a plurality of pin members movable along verticalaxis coextensive with the vertical axes ofthe aligned openings andnotches of the cards,

third means coupled to the second means for providing vertical movementof at least some of the pin members to have the pin members pass throughat least one opening in all of the cards except one,

fourth means coupled to the cards for providing horizontal forwardmovement of the cards and with all of the cards except the one cardrestrained for forward movement by at least one ofthe pin members,

the fourth means includes a stream of gas directed to the plurality ofcards to separate the individual cards and to provide horizonal movementof the cards, a

the stream of gas is concentrated by a nozzle and the nozzle andplurality of cards are moved relative to each other in a verticaldirection to provide the stream of gas along the entire plurality ofcards, and

the relative vertical movement between the nozzle and the cards isstopped when the selected card is moved in a horizontal direction andwith a short reversal of the vertical movement to insure the selectedcard in the center of the stream of gas.

18. A cassette for receiving and storing a plurality of cards whereineach card has an individual code formed by openings through the card andnotches extending from a back edge of the card and with the cassette foruse with a selector mechanism including a pin assembly having pinmembers extending through the openings and notches to restrain themovement of all of the cards except one in accordance with the patternof the pins, including:

a tray portion including a bottom member, side walls and a back wall forrestraining movement of the cards in all directions except forward,

a cover member hinged to the tray portion and including a front wall torestrain movement of the cards in the forward direction when the coveris closed and to allow movement of the cards in the forward directionwhen the cover is open, and

at least one opening in the bottom member to allow access to the cardsfor the pin assembly.

19. The cassette of claim 18 including a guide member for cooperatingwith a guide in the selector mechanism to provide guiding of thecassette into the selector mechanism.

20. The cassette of claim 19 wherein the guide member is a slot formedin one of the walls of the cassette.

21. The cassette of claim 18 including a catch member for cooperatingwith a latch in the selector mechanism to latch the cassette withinposition in the selector mechanism.

22. The cassette of claim 18 including a latching mechanism to latch thecover in a closed position and within the latching mechanism cooperatingwith an arm in the selector mechanism to unlatch the cover when thecassette is in position in the selector mechanism.

23. The cassette of claim 18 wherein the cassette includes a weightmember lying on top of the plurality of cards to provide a constantdownward pressure on the group of cards.

24. The cassette of claim 23 wherein the weight member includes aforward folded over portion to receive a plurality of dummy cards toprovide a separation of the dummy cards from the plurality of cards atthe forward portion but with the dummy cards forming part of theplurality of cards at the rearward portion.

25. The cassette of claim 23 wherein the weight member is coupled byflexible tape members to the hinged cover member in the cassette toprovide for the weight member lying on the plurality of cards when thehinged cover member is open.

* l l l

1. A selector mechanism for use in selecting an individual one from aplurality of cards and wherein each card has an individual edge code ofadjacent openings and notches, including: first means for supporting theplurality of cards in a horizontal position and with the coded edgeportions and the openings and notches of the individual cards alignedalong vertical axis, a plurality of pin membErs supported adjacent toeach other and to the coded edge portions of the plurality of cards andwith each pin member movable between at least two preset positions andwith each pin member at all preset positions located along one of thevertical axis, second means coupled to the individual pin members topreset positions corresponding to all notch positions for the edge codeof one of the cards in the plurality, third means coupled to theplurality of pin members for providing movement of the pin members alongthe vertical axes and to extend through the openings and notches of allthe cards, fourth means coupled to the plurality of cards for providingindividual movement of the cards in a horizontal direction and with allof the cards except the one card having all notch positions for the pinmembers restrained from such movement in the horizontal direction by thepin members, said pin members being movable between two preset positionswith stop members to control the preset positions, and the ends of thepin members form balls and additionally including a slotted tube forreceiving the ball ends to allow the pin members to move freely betweenthe preset positions while providing a positive bidirectionaltranslation of the pins as a group in a direction orthogonal to the freedirection.
 2. A selector mechanism for use in selecting an individualone from a plurality of cards and wherein each card has an individualedge code of adjacent openings and notches, including: first means forsupporting the plurality of cards in a horizontal position and with thecoded edge portions and the openings and notches of the individual cardsaligned along vertical axes, a plurality of pin members supportedadjacent to each other and to the coded edge portions of the pluralityof cards and with each pin member moveable between at least two presetpositions and with each pin member at all preset positions located alongone of the vertical axis, second means coupled to the individual pinmembers to preset positions corresponding to all notch positions for theedge core of one of the cards in the plurality, third means coupled tothe plurality of pin members for providing movement of the pin membersalong the vertical axes and to extend through the openings and notchesof all of the cards, fourth means coupled to the plurality of cards forproviding individual movement of the cards in a horizontal direction andwith all of the cards except the one card having all notch positions forthe pin members restrained from such movement in the horizontaldirection by the pin members, the plurality of cards is stored in acassette and the cassette is inserted into and supported by the firstmeans, and the cassette includes a cover member having a front facecovering the forward edges of the plurality of cards and additionallyincluding means for opening the hinged cover to expose the forward edgesof the cards and to allow the horizontal movement of the selected one ofthe cards to have the selected one of the cards extend from theplurality of cards.
 3. The selector mechanism of claim 2 which thecassette includes a latching mechanism for latching the cover in aclosed position and wherein the first means includes means forunlatching the latching mechanism when the cassette is inserted into andsupported by the first means.
 4. The selector mechanism of claim 2additionally including a latching mechanism for latching the cassette ina desired position for selection of the cards and additionally includingan interlock to prevent unlatching when the cover member is opened toexpose the forward edges of the cards.
 5. A selector mechanism for usein selecting an individual one from a plurality of cards and whereineach card has an individual edge code of adjacent openings and notches,including: first means for supporting the plurality of cards in ahorizontal position and with the coded edge portions and the openingsand notches Of the individual cards aligned along vertical axes, aplurality of pin members supported adjacent to each other and to thecoded edge portions of the plurality of cards and with each pin membermovable between at least two preset positions and with each pin memberat all preset positions located along one of the vertical axis, secondmeans coupled to the individual pin members to preset positionscorresponding to all notch positions for the edge code of one of thecards in the plurality, third means coupled to the plurality of pinmembers for providing movement of the pin members along the verticalaxes and to extend through the openings and notches of all of the cards,fourth means coupled to the plurality of cards for providing individualmovement of the cards in a horizontal direction and with all of thecards except the one card having all notch positions for the pin membersrestrained from such movement in the horizontal direction by the pinmembers, the plurality of cards is stored in a cassette and the cassetteis inserted into and supported by the first means, and the cassetteincludes a weight member lying on top of the plurality of cards toprovide a constant downward pressure on the group of cards.
 6. Theselector mechanism of claim 5 wherein the weight member includes aforward folded over portion to receive a plurality of dummy cards toprovide a separation of the dummy cards from the plurality of cards atthe forward portion but with the dummy cards forming part of theplurality of cards at the rearward portion.
 7. The selector mechanism ofclaim 5 wherein the weight member is coupled by flexible tape members toa hinged cover member in the cassette to provide for the weight memberlying on the plurality of cards when the hinged cover member is open. 8.A selector mechanism for use in selecting an individual one from aplurality of cards and wherein each card has an individual code formedby openings through the card and notches extending from a back edge ofthe card, including: a cassette for receiving and storing the pluralityof cards adjacent to each other with the openings and notches alignedalong parallel axis and including an open front for allowing forwardmovement of the cards in planes perpendicular to the parallel axis,first means for supporting the cassette in a horizontal plane and withthe forward movement of the cards in a horizontal direction, secondmeans including a plurality of pin members moveable along vertical axiscoextensive with the vertical axes of the aligned openings and notchesof the cards, third means coupled to the second means for providingvertical movement of at least some of the pin members to have the pinmembers pass through at least one opening in all of the cards exceptone, fourth means coupled to the cards for providing horizontal forwardmovement of the cards and with all of the cards except one cardrestrained for forward movement by at least one of the pin members, andeach pin member is also movable in a horizontal direction between twopreset positions and with step members to control the preset positions.9. The selector mechanism of claim 8 wherein the end of the pin membersform balls and additionally including a slotted tube for receiving theball ends to guide the pin members between the preset positions.
 10. Aselector mechanism for use in selecting an individual one from aplurality of cards and wherein each card has an individual code formedby openings through the card and notches extending from a back edge ofthe card, including: a cassette for receiving and storing the pluralityof cards adjacent to each other with the openings and notches alignedalong parallel axis and including an open front for allowing forwardmovement of the cards in planes perpendicular to the parallel axis,first means for supporting the cassette in a horizontal plane and withthe forward movement of the cards in a horizontal direction, sEcondmeans including a plurality of pin members movable along vertical axiscoextensive with the vertical axes of the aligned openings and notchesof the cards, third means coupled to the second means for providingvertical movement of at least some of the pin members to have the pinmembers pass through at least one opening in all of the cards exceptone, fourth means coupled to the cards for providing horizontal forwardmovement of the cards and with all of the cards except the one cardrestrained for forward movement by at least one of the pin members, andthe cassette includes a hinged cover member having a front face coveringthe open front and additionally including means for opening the hingedcover to expose the forward edges of the cards and to allow thehorizontal movement of the selected one of the cards to have theselected one of the cards extend from the plurality of cards.
 11. Theselector mechanism of claim 10 wherein the cassette includes a latchingmechanism for latching the cover in a closed position and wherein thefirst means includes means for unlatching the latching mechanism whenthe cassette is inserted into and supported by the first means.
 12. Theselector mechanism of claim 10 additionally including a latchingmechanism for latching the cassette in a desired position for selectionof the cards and additionally including an interlock to preventunlatching when the cover member is opened to expose the forward edgesof the cards.
 13. A selector mechanism for use in selecting anindividual one from a plurality of cards and wherein each card has anindividual code formed by openings through the card and notchesextending from a back edge of the card, including: a cassette forreceiving and storing the plurality of cards adjacent to each other withthe openings and notches aligned along parallel axis and including anopen front for allowing forward movement of the cards in planesperpendicular to the parallel axis, first means for supporting thecassette in a horizontal plane and with the forward movement of thecards in a horizontal direction, second means including a plurality ofpin members movable along vertical axis coextensive with the verticalaxes of the aligned openings and notches of the cards, third meanscoupled to the second means for providing vertical movement of at leastsome of the pin members to have the pin members pass through at leastone opening in all of the cards except one, fourth means coupled to thecards for providing horizontal forward movement of the cards and withall of the cards except the one card restrained for forward movement byat least one of the pin members, and the cassette includes a weightmember lying on top of the plurality of cards to provide a constantdownward pressure on the group of cards.
 14. The selector mechanism ofclaim 13 wherein the weight member includes a forward folded overportion to receive a plurality of dummy cards to provide a separation ofthe dummy cards from the plurality of cards at the forward position butwith the dummy cards forming part of the plurality of cards at therearward portion.
 15. The selector mechanism of claim 13 wherein theweight member is coupled by flexible tape members to a hinged covermember in the cassette to provide for the weight member lying on theplurality of cards when the hinged cover member is open.
 16. A sslectormechanism for use in selecting an individual one from a plurality ofcards and wherein each card has an individual edge code of adjacentopenings and notches, including: first means for supporting theplurality of cards in a horizontal position and with the coded edgeportions and the openings and notches of the individual cards alignedalong vertical axes, a plurality of pin members supported adjacent toeach other and to the coded edge portions of the plurality of cards andwith each pin member movable between at least two preset positions andwith each pin member at all preseT positions located along one of thevertical axis, second means coupled to the individual pin members topreset positions corresponding to all notch positions for the edge codeof one of the cards in the plurality, third means coupled to theplurality of pin members for providing movement of the pin members alongthe vertical axis and to extend through the openings and notches of allof the cards, fourth means, including a stream of gas, coupled to theplurality of cards for providing individual movement of the cards in ahorizontal direction and with all of the cards except the one cardhaving all notch positions for the pin members restrained from suchmovement in the horizontal direction by the pin members, the stream ofgas is concentrated by a nozzle and the nozzle and plurality of cardsare moved relative to each other in a vertical direction to provide thestream of gas along the entire plurality of cards, and the relativevertical movement between the nozzle and the cards is stopped when theselected card is moved in a horizontal direction and with a shortreversal of the vertical movement to insure the selected card in thecenter of the stream of gas.
 17. A selector mechanism for use inselecting an individual one from a plurality of cards and wherein eachcard has an individual code formed by openings through the card andnotches extending from a back edge of the card, including: a cassettefor receiving and storing the plurality of cards adjacent to each otherwith the openings and notches aligned along parallel axis and includingan open front for allowing forward movement of the cards in planesperpendicular to the parallel axis, first means for supporting thecassette in a horizontal plane and with the forward movement of thecards in a horizontal direction, second means including a plurality ofpin members movable along vertical axis coextensive with the verticalaxes of the aligned openings and notches of the cards, third meanscoupled to the second means for providing vertical movement of at leastsome of the pin members to have the pin members pass through at leastone opening in all of the cards except one, fourth means coupled to thecards for providing horizontal forward movement of the cards and withall of the cards except the one card restrained for forward movement byat least one of the pin members, the fourth means includes a stream ofgas directed to the plurality of cards to separate the individual cardsand to provide horizonal movement of the cards, the stream of gas isconcentrated by a nozzle and the nozzle and plurality of cards are movedrelative to each other in a vertical direction to provide the stream ofgas along the entire plurality of cards, and the relative verticalmovement between the nozzle and the cards is stopped when the selectedcard is moved in a horizontal direction and with a short reversal of thevertical movement to insure the selected card in the center of thestream of gas.
 18. A cassette for receiving and storing a plurality ofcards wherein each card has an individual code formed by openingsthrough the card and notches extending from a back edge of the card andwith the cassette for use with a selector mechanism including a pinassembly having pin members extending through the openings and notchesto restrain the movement of all of the cards except one in accordancewith the pattern of the pins, including: a tray portion including abottom member, side walls and a back wall for restraining movement ofthe cards in all directions except forward, a cover member hinged to thetray portion and including a front wall to restrain movement of thecards in the forward direction when the cover is closed and to allowmovement of the cards in the forward direction when the cover is open,and at least one opening in the bottom member to allow access to thecards for the pin assembly.
 19. The cassette of claim 18 including aguide member for coopeRating with a guide in the selector mechanism toprovide guiding of the cassette into the selector mechanism.
 20. Thecassette of claim 19 wherein the guide member is a slot formed in one ofthe walls of the cassette.
 21. The cassette of claim 18 including acatch member for cooperating with a latch in the selector mechanism tolatch the cassette within position in the selector mechanism.
 22. Thecassette of claim 18 including a latching mechanism to latch the coverin a closed position and within the latching mechanism cooperating withan arm in the selector mechanism to unlatch the cover when the cassetteis in position in the selector mechanism.
 23. The cassette of claim 18wherein the cassette includes a weight member lying on top of theplurality of cards to provide a constant downward pressure on the groupof cards.
 24. The cassette of claim 23 wherein the weight memberincludes a forward folded over portion to receive a plurality of dummycards to provide a separation of the dummy cards from the plurality ofcards at the forward portion but with the dummy cards forming part ofthe plurality of cards at the rearward portion.
 25. The cassette ofclaim 23 wherein the weight member is coupled by flexible tape membersto the hinged cover member in the cassette to provide for the weightmember lying on the plurality of cards when the hinged cover member isopen.